The Best Medicine
by oheyitssparrow
Summary: A new doctor, a new love, new discoveries.  Rated T for the elements. UD 9 1 07  CHAPT 2
1. Prologue

Hello!! I had to totally rewrite this, the whole story was on my old computer, I just got this new one. Enjoy, and no flamies! The reason I made up a character for House was simply because the only pairing (for House) I like even a little is House/Wilson, and I'm not skilled in that area yet. xD

Just some background: Chase and Cameron have been together for a year. YES, I AM A FAN OF THEM. Also, Stacy never existed. Yup. OH. And House is not 48. He is about Thomas Lang age, 35/36.

Disclaimer – I don't own anything, except for Miss Leah Madison. She is the product of my obsessive imagination. :3 Enjoy!

The Best Medicine

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Prologue

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Another good old day. In this damn hospital. I didn't have a case at the moment, I had nothing to do, really no reason to be here. I sat alone in my office, my iPod dead, my DS dead, everything blah and boring. Why do I even come here everyday, I wondered, if there was never anything to do? This question had been unanswered for the many years I've been here, and every corner of this hospital I looked, I couldn't find the answer. After a few minutes, I felt myself drift off. A state of peace crashed over me, and my eyes began to close. Then, out of the corner of my eye, a shadowy figure opened my door and stepped inside. Before opening my eyes all the way, I proceeded to guess who it was. _ Hm, slightly pompous stance, hands on hips, yup, it's Wilson._

"You know, you have things to do. Whereas, I, do not." I said sleepily and yet awake, preparing the crane in my head that grabbed witty comments when needed. My eyes were open now, and I took a hold of my cane and, with a slight smile, tapped it on the floor, eyes on Wilson.

"Cuddy wants you," Wilson said, shifting around like he usually did. Why did he do this all the time? I wondered. Is this why he and his 3rd ex-wife got divorced?

"When does she ever NOT want me? I need a refill." I said, throwing an empty bottle of the love of my life, Vicodin, in Wilson's direction. I smiled even wider at the expression on his face as I stood up and limped out of my office, bumping into Wilson "accidentally".

I made my way to the mistress' office, ignoring anyone who said anything to me on the way, which included some nurses. I reached her office and stopped in my tracks. There was a woman in the room with her. She looked about my age, maybe a few years younger. She was thin, and she had long, straight blond hair that stopped at her forearms. Her blue eyes, blue as the deep ocean were coated with a film of happiness, but underneath there was pure fear. It seemed that there was always fear in her eyes, no matter the situation. Her skin was incredibly fair, and she moved her hands very little when she talked. Cuddy was opposite her, writing things down on a clipboard, asking this woman questions, writing, asking, writing. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She was wearing a light blue jacket with a matching skirt, and her shoes were high and white. I got lost into her appearance, and then my dream state was interrupted when her and Cuddy stood up. They were both smiling, the woman bearing white, straight teeth. They both walked out together, and soon they were by my side. Cuddy stopped short and looked at me.

"Dr. House, I believe you got my message from Dr. Wilson?" Cuddy asked, and the woman, after looking around a bit, looked at me. I felt our eyes meet, but it soon broke.

"What I don't understand is how Wilson is now playing messenger to the Dean of Medicine." I jabbed, still looking at this woman and trying not to. I saw her smile at my comment, and it made me smile.

I saw Cuddy roll her eyes. "He was right there, you two are friends." She said irritably. She turned to the woman. "I'll call you."

"Thanks, Dr. Cuddy," the woman said. Her voice was soft, yet there was power in it. She took one last look at me and walked off, then out of the building. Cuddy turned back to me.

"Who's your friend?" I said, my head jerked in the direction of the door.

"You'll find out soon. Come on." Cuddy said smoothly, then walked into her office, expecting me to follow. It took me a few moments to digest this whole thing. The beautiful woman who Cuddy just apparently interviewed, the fact that I was going to find out who this woman was. That was the best part. I wheeled around and limped into Cuddy's office, prepared to tone out her rant about paperwork, which, of course, I never did. No time. What, with all this busy hospital work, right?

YAH. It's short. IT'S A PROLOGUE. YAY! Tell me what you think dudes! Thanks! -Sparrow


	2. Chapter 1:  Nice To Meet You

And here we are for the first chapter. Hope the prologue was good. This is obviously going to be longer, as it's a normal chapter. Everything was explained last time. Hah, As I write this, I'm watching episode 1x2 (Paternity), and it brings me back to the good old days. When Hugh was like, 45. xD

The Best Medicine

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Chapter 1: Nice to Meet You

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You wouldn't call the weather cold, you wouldn't call it hot. It was a bit on the cooler side, but it was pretty unusual for a typical late September day. Limping into the hospital, as usual, seemed different today. No reason why, just that strange, nagging feeling people get when they feel like they forgot something. In this case, I felt like I was forgetting something I didn't have yet, but I'd soon have it. Opening the door to the hospital, I looked around in horror. I didn't want to see Cuddy, or Wilson, or anyone I work with for that matter. My plan for that day was to just sit in peace, hopefully dodge my way out of clinic, possibly take a nap. Ah, another wonderful day in paradise. I didn't see anyone I knew in the lobby, but I did have the nerving responsibility to check myself in. I limped up to the desk and hit my hand loudly on the desk, so the nurse, Brenda, would look up at me and roll her eyes, like she always did.

"Good morning, Dr. House," she sighed, handing me to usual files.

"Morning," I murmured, keeping my eyes on the sign-in sheet. The only thing that made my head jerk up was the unsettling familiar click of Cuddy's heels on the tile floor. I saw her walking towards me, her usual evil mistress smirk upon her face, and next to her, was a woman. No, not _a _woman, _the _woman. The woman that I saw approximately two weeks ago, in Cuddy's office. The woman with the long, straight, blonde hair, today it was flipped inward, and those piercing blue eyes. The fair-skinned woman with the straight teeth. She was stepping in time with Cuddy, in black heels, giving the world a closed smile. I felt the room close in a little, getting warmer, and my lips were stuck together. Cuddy and this woman approached me, and I felt my mouth twitch into a sick smile.

"Dr. House," Cuddy said, just to make sure I had her attention. When I didn't respond, she sighed and came a bit closer. "House, you there?" she prodded, and I snapped out of the high. I tipped my head downward, as an effort to nod. I felt my lips unstick.

"Good morning, Dr. Cuddy," I said, staring at this woman and really trying not to. "Paying me for last night? Your choice of outfit today implies that you can pay me for double tonight," I shot, shifting my eyes to my boss. She rolled hers, and opened her mouth to speak.

"Dr. House, this is Dr. Leah Madison," she gestured to the woman, "She's an upcoming hospital psychiatrist. I've asked her to come in and take a year in our hospital before earning her license. I want her to take part in your department, because you're line of work does concern mental health." I raised my eyebrows. I knew what Cuddy was trying to say, but the poor thing couldn't word it correctly.

"Since most of my patients are either psychotic, schizophrenic, or just normal everyday liars, you feel it's necessary to hire a specialist in these matters?" I clarified, for I saw the confused look on Cuddy's face after she tried to explain. She quickly nodded, and I turned back to the woman, Leah Madison. "Nice," I said truthfully, it would be nicer to have someone there to talk to the patients so I wouldn't have to. Sure, I had Cameron, Chase and Foreman, but let's see. Cameron cries her eyes out when she gets near a dying person, Foreman will tell them that they're racist, and Chase will end up killing the patient. So this one seemed harmless. I was so caught up in my mind that I hadn't realized Cuddy was talking to Leah, explaining where things were and all that. When I heard Cuddy say a farewell, I snapped back into reality once more, and was faced with Leah.

"Show her to your office," Cuddy growled into my ear and she walked away. I decided to obey, for once, and jerked my head in the direction of my office.

"This way," I said as I started to walk towards my office, my head still facing her to make sure she followed. She did, and soon she was walking in time with me, despite my slow limp and her fast pace. I examined her while we walked, trying not to catch her eye. She was dressed in black pinstripe pants, with a white blouse and carrying a big black bag. Neither of us spoke the whole walk, and I though it was strange that she didn't question my big, brown cane stepping next to her. But, nevertheless, we arrived at my office. I saw her smile at my name on the door. I opened the door for her, and she stepped inside. I followed her in and shut the door. And there we were. I could see Foreman in the second office, but I didn't bother making myself present to him.

"You can sit," I muttered, and I heard her say "oh," and she sat down quietly in the desk chair on the other side of mine. I sat down on mine, and realized someone needed to talk, and they needed to talk now.

"Well, as Dr. Cuddy said, I'm Leah Madison," she said. Her voice was clear and soft, and I heard a layer of fear, one much like the one in her eyes. She didn't offer me her hand to shake, and I liked that. "And you're Dr. Gregory House," she said, pointing to the door. "It's nice to meet you."

I nodded quickly and slightly. "You were here two weeks ago."

She smiled wider. "Yes I was. You're too smart," she said, and I gave a small, unconscious smile.

"Let's see..." I murmured as I opened a file marked with her name on it that someone, most likely Cuddy, put on my desk before I had arrived. "Leah...Anne?" I looked up at her.

She shook her head. "I know, it's awful. Leah Anne Madison. Three first names. My parents must have been high." I felt myself smile wider, that was something that was meant to come out of my mouth, not hers. It was a relief that she already felt comfortable, so I wouldn't have to take the time to do it for her. Though, looking at her, I wouldn't mind.

"Born March 30th, 1972..." _My age_, my mind said, "In Trenton." I scanned the sheet a bit more. It said nothing about her family, just basic status. "Graduated in top of class at University of Michigan..." It wasn't until she cleared her throat I realized I was saying everything very quietly, to the point where only I could here myself speak. I stopped, and she gave me a I-wasn't-clearing-my-throat-to-make-you-stop look. After that, it was silence. Silence, until Foreman walked into my office. I looked up at him, and he looked at me with a confused look.

"Do we...have a case? He asked, his eyes glancing to her. She turned to look at him with one eye, me with the other. A sly smile crept across her face, and I broke the short silence.

"No," I said, then I withdrew myself from the conversation by turning my head towards the window. I heard her sigh.

"I'm Dr. Leah Madison, I'm spending a year in Dr. House's department before I get my full license. I'm a psychiatrist." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her hold her hand out to Foreman. I saw him smile a fake, pseudo-white smile and shake it.

"Dr. Eric Foreman, nice to meet you." She nodded in return, and I felt all eyes on me.

"Foreman," I turned my head fast, which made Leah blink. "Go find Cuddy, pull a case out of her shirt." I said, standing up. I jerked my head towards Leah as I started walking to the door, "You're with me."

Approaching Wilson's office, I noticed she hadn't asked where were going. It reminded me of not a half hour ago, when we were walking to my office, and she didn't say a word. This was going to be a good year, if she wasn't going to question much. We approached Wilson's door, and I perused forward, without knocking, as usual. This made her smile, and she followed. Wilson's office was the same it always is, with 20 more caring in the air today. He was at his desk, writing something, and, and usual, he looked up whenever his door opened.

"You could have knocked," he said, bringing his eyes back to his writing. He then realized another being was in the room, and looked up. I noticed his look soften and he set his pen down. I made a show of gesturing to her so she could introduce herself.

"Hi, I'm Leah Madison, the new psychiatrist in Dr. House's department," she said, holding out her hand so Wilson could take it, which he did.

"I'm James Wilson, nice to meet you," he replied, and she nodded. They're hands released, and I took out my Vicodin and shook it hastily.

"I need a refill," I said oh-so familiarly, throwing him the pill bottle. It hit Wilson's papers, and he closed his eyes in shame.

"As you can see, Dr. House has a...pain management problem," Wilson said, embarrassed, as he grabbed the pill bottle rudely, directed towards me. I saw Leah smile.

"I know," she said, and Wilson gave a weak smile back to her. I could tell he was surprised at her answer along with me, because I didn't know how she knew. I decided not to push a question on her, yet. A silence reared it's ugly head, and then Wilson defeated it.

"Do you have a case, House?" he said, returning once again to his paper work.

I puffed my lips and released, creating that infamous popping sound. "Nope. Just came here to wipe my drug addiction in your face." I heard Wilson breathe heavily as a sign of annoyance, and I lost interest. "Okay, we're leaving now." I walked past Leah and put my hand on the doorknob, before pausing after Leah spoke.

"It was nice to meet you, Dr. Wilson." She said, and she was suddenly behind me, waiting for me to open the door so she could leave as well. I opened the door, and we walked out and headed to my office. This time, she talked as we we walked.

"Dr. Wilson seems nice, so does Dr. Foreman. You are Dr. Wilson are friends." She said as if it was just a normal fact. I stopped walking and looked at her. She did the same, and smiled. "I'm a psychiatrist, remember? I know these things. That's how I knew you were a drug addict." I continued to stare, and she went on. "A lot of people who are addicts think that they can alter their physical appearance to make it look like they're sober. It usually doesn't work, but, that doesn't apply to you. You don't look like an addict because you don't care about detail. You could care less about what you look like. But you do care about being an addict."

I peeled my eyes off of her, and directed them forward. "If I wanted to psycho-analyzed, I would have done the rehab thing." I said, looking back at her and smiling, eventually chuckling. She giggled too, and we continued to walk.

"People think that they can admit they have an addiction if they're an addict," I started.

"You know you have a problem," she finished for me.

"I know I need the drugs," I completed, and that was the end of our conversation. I felt it comforting that she could say whatever she wanted to me within an hour of my acquaintance. It reminded me of myself, which was even better. When we finally reached my office, to my horror, the whole crew have arrived. I opened the door and kept it open for Leah, and soon we were all in the main office of my department. Cameron and Chase looked at us when we walked in, waiting for an explanation.

"Well, looks like yours was a long night," I said to the two. "Is she pregnant yet?" I asked Chase, making Cameron roll her eyes and Chase stand there stupidly, like he always did. They continued to stare at her, I pretended to be annoyed.

"Cameron, Chase..." I gestured to Leah, and she knew she needed to take the greeting herself. She held out her hand to Chase first as she spoke.

"Hi, I'm Leah Madison, the new psychiatrist in Dr. House's department."

"I'm Robert Chase, and this is Allison Cameron," Chase said as he took her hand. After they released, Leah held her hand out to Cameron, but she didn't take it, all she did was saying "nice to meet you" and went over to the desk. Chase gave a face, and followed her. I walked over to the coffee machine, and I saw Leah sit down at the table. I poured coffee into my red mug, and proceeded to sit down at the closest chair. It became silent in the room again, with the only noises being me sipping my coffee, and Cameron going through my mail. After a while, Chase walked up to me.

"Do we have a case?" He asked, sitting down on the other side of Leah.

"Foreman was gonna steal one from some white, rural family's home for us. But the fuzz must have caught him." I said, and Leah gave a small laugh. In return, I gave her a smile of the same size. I heard Cameron mutter something about me being a racist, but I pretended to not hear. After a few moments, Foreman walked in, holding a file.

"7 year old white male, acute irritability and then some involuntary jerking. Happened when the family was eating breakfast." He said as he dropped the file in front of me on the table. I saw Leah raise an eyebrow and open her mouth to speak.

"Looks like you got your white, rural family case."

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A/N: YES, I went through writer's block in the middle of writing this. BLAGH. And now it's 1:18 am, and I'm listening to "Teardrop" on repeat, and it's quite a life I have. xD RnR!!! Please! Suggestions if you want, I love those. :3


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